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Learning experiences for infant classes

Learning experience 3: Helping me to learn

Theme: Communicating, Aim 3 and Learning goal 2

Age group: Young children

Setting: Home and infant class (primary school)

Kara (4 years) is in junior infants. Her parents left school early. They have difficulties with literacy and know this is a disadvantage. They really want Kara to do well in school and to get a good education. But Kara says she doesn’t like school. Kara and her family have the support of a Home School Community Liaison co-ordinator, Betty. Betty encourages Kara’s parents to talk to her teacher, Ms. Nugent, and she suggests some questions they might ask. Ms. Nugent encourages them to help Kara in whatever way they can. She suggests that they use a picture book to read a story or to tell her stories themselves about when they were children. They can draw pictures together at home and talk about them. If they have time they can come in some days and help out in the classroom.

Ms. Nugent also encourages Kara in school by asking her what kind of books she likes to look at and

read. Kara replies, Books about babies are good and books about dressing up and going to my friend’s house. Ms. Nugent regularly uses books on these topics when reading stories to Kara and her friends. She puts dress-up clothes and props such as tiaras, dolls, buggies, and hand-bags in the pretend play area. Ms. Nugent regularly talks to Kara’s mam to see how they can continue to work together to support Kara at home and in school. Betty also liaises with Ms. Nugent and Kara’s parents regularly to ensure Kara and her family have positive school experiences.

Reflection: What can I do to give extra support and encouragement to some parents?

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Learning experiences for infant classesAistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework

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Learning experience 6: Paul’s daily diary

Theme: Identity and Belonging, Aim 1 and Learning goal 5


Setting: Home and infant class (special primary school)

Paul (5 years) has moderate general learning disabilities. He goes on a bus every morning to attend Holy Angels’ Special School seventeen miles from home. His parents rarely visit his school because of the distance, so they and his teacher use a daily diary to keep each other up-to-date on how Paul is getting on. This means that his parents can talk to him about what happens at school and can reinforce his learning at home. It also means that his practitioners are able to take what happens at home into account, as Paul has difficulty communicating this himself.

Paul was very excited recently when his family got a new puppy. His mam wrote about this in his diary. His teacher used this information when planning his activities for the week. Paul screeched excitedly when Miss O’Malley knew the name of the puppy and he seemed to really enjoy it when she read him a story about a sheepdog working on a farm. An example of an extract from Paul’s diary is included below.

Reflection: What special arrangements can I put in place to share information with parents I don’t often see?

Figure 2: Extract from Paul’s daily diary

February 28

Hi FionaPaul had a poor night’s sleep. Seemed fine when he came home from school. Had his tea and we went for a walk with him in the wheelchair. Toby, the puppy came too. As usual Paul had his bath and we read him a story but for some reason he never settled. He may be tired in school today. I know I am!

RegardsAileen

February 28

Thanks Aileen. Jackie, Paul’s physio did a session with him today. I told her he might be a little tired. She did some gentle exercises with him and when she brought him back to class he seemed very tired so we put him in the quiet area with his teddy and his blanket and he went for a short sleep. He had a good lunch and seemed in good form after that. He’s still enjoying the books about animals. He’s also getting very good at knocking the towers of blocks with his head and your practice at home is really showing. Hope you sleep tonight.

As always, give me a call on 087227569 at any time,Fiona

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Learning experience 7: Showing empathy



Setting: Home, childminding and infant class (primary school)

Mike, a widower visits his daughter Saoirse’s school today to hear how she is getting on in senior infants. The school has a policy of giving parents a written mid-year report in February at the parent/teacher meetings and again towards the end of June. This is Mike’s first face-to-face meeting with Saoirse’s teacher. His wife Mary used to look after all contacts with the school. Saoirse’s childminder, Niamh, drops and collects Saoirse from school every day while Mike is at work and she fills Mike in about how things are going at school. She knows Saoirse’s teacher well and has an informal chat with her regularly, especially since Mike asked her to do this for him. The school has been very good about supporting Saoirse since her Mammy died five months ago. Miss Buckley, Saoirse’s teacher, has been in regular phone contact with Mike since then. However, Mike is still a bit nervous about the meeting.

Miss Buckley immediately puts Mike at ease and reassures him that Saoirse is doing very well. She goes through the report card in detail with him and regularly asks him if he has any questions. She also shows him samples of Saoirse’s work on display on the walls, in her books, and in her portfolio. She shares some photographs with him. Two of these show Saoirse minding two babies while playing with

a friend. The caption beside the photographs reads, Don’t worry Lucy. I’ll look after you. Miss Buckley explains that Saoirse and her friend were pretending that Lucy’s mammy was sick and died. She asks Mike how Saoirse is getting on at home and he tells her about the things she enjoys and the things that she finds hard, now that her Mammy is gone. Miss Buckley gives Mike the report card to take home and tells him to call or to send in a note if he wants to talk to her about Saoirse. She reassures him that she will continue to keep a close eye on Saoirse and that she will give him a call in a few weeks to give him an update. She re-emphasises that Saoirse is doing well in her learning and is coping well at school after losing her Mammy.

Reflection: Do I give enough thought to the events and circumstances in families’ lives which can impact on children’s learning and development?

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Learning experience 10: Bláithín’s dad

Theme: Well-being, Aim 4 and Learning goal 6


Setting: Home and infant class (primary school)

Joan and Con have three children at primary school. They are both active members of the Parents’ Association (PA) and take turns going to meetings. They have built good relationships with the teachers and other parents since their first child started school. A new housing estate has been built locally and the number of children attending the school has greatly increased. The PA and the school staff recently helped to organise an open day for parents of new children. Patrick whose daughter Bláithín started junior infants this year, went along. The PA are also developing an outdoor play area for the infants which includes a place for planting. Con suggested to the teachers that Patrick might be interested in getting involved in setting up the outdoor area. Patrick looks after his children each weekend since he and his wife separated. He is a part-time builder. Patrick is delighted to be asked and especially so when the teacher suggests that the children might help him out. His daughter Bláithín is delighted about this. Patrick feels that he is contributing positively to his children’s learning and development and also benefiting the school community by using his skills.

Over the next few weeks Patrick, the class teacher, children, and some other parents enjoy working together and have the play area ready for the sun in June!

Reflection: Are there ways in which I can encourage dads to become more involved in their children’s learning and development?

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Learning experience 13: Transitions


Age: Young children

Setting: Home, sessional service (pre-school) and infant class (primary school)

Simon (almost 6 years) attends his local primary school. His parents became concerned about his behaviour when he was around two-and-a-half. Simon had difficultly concentrating and completing activities. They spoke to the public health nurse. She felt that there was no immediate cause for concern and advised them to send Simon to pre-school the following September. He settled in well. The ratio of adults to children was very good and Simon was assigned a Key Worker, Kelly, who often spent time in one-to-one interactions with him and helped him to play and interact with other children in the group. Kelly helped break down tasks for Simon and modelled things for him a number of times. She gave one piece of information or direction at a time which helped him to join in activities with others. Simon especially liked water play and being outdoors. Kelly helped set up a buddy system and Rachel really enjoyed being Simon’s special friend. Simon spent two years in the pre-school.

Simon’s parents were concerned about his transfer to primary school. He was going to the local school where there were 19 junior infants, senior infants and first class children in the classroom. Simon’s parents met the principal and his teacher before he started school and they outlined their concerns and the additional help Simon had received at pre-school. They arranged to meet again in mid-October when the teacher had a chance to get to know Simon. After that meeting Simon was referred for an educational assessment. Following his assessment, an Individual Education Plan was drawn up and a special needs assistant was appointed to help him in the classroom for 10 hours per week.

Simon is now in senior infants. He spends time with the school’s special education teacher working on specific skills that will help him to learn. His parents are pleased with Simon’s progress and the work his teachers are doing to ensure that his needs are met. They get regular feedback from the school and they talk to his teacher once a fortnight by phone to find out what they can do to help Simon progress.

Reflection: How can I improve how I work with parents of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) to involve them more in their children’s learning and development?

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Eispéireas foghlama 16a: Téann Ruairí go dtí an t-ospidéal

Téama: Taiscéaladh agus Smaointeoireacht, Aidhm 2 agus Sprioc foghlama 5

Aoisghrúpa: Leanaí

Suíomh: Rang naíonán (Gaelscoil)(Thosaigh an t-eispéireas seo le linn an tseisiúin chomhrá Ghaeilge)

Bhí Múinteoir Seán ag labhairt lena rang de 23 naíonán sóisearach agus sinsearach. Bhí imní ar Ruairí, an puipéad, toisc go raibh air dul go dtí an t-ospidéal chun go mbainfí a chéislíní. D’fhiafraigh Múinteoir Seán de na leanaí conas a bhraithfeadh siad dá mbeadh orthu dul go dtí an t-ospidéal. Fuair sé freagraí éagsúla. Ansin d’fhiafraigh sé de na leanaí conas a d’fhéadfaidís cuidiú le Ruairí brath níos fearr mar gheall ar an gcuairt ar an ospidéal. Rinne roinnt mhaith de na leanaí comhbhá le mothúcháin imní agus neirbhíse Ruairí agus faoi bheith ina aonair agus scoite amach ón theaghlach agus a chairde.

Thosaigh Myra (beagnach 6 bliana d’aois), a bhfuil fiobróis chisteach uirthi, ag labhairt ar na sealanna fada a chaith sí san ospidéal. Bhí gach duine ag éisteacht léi go cúramach. Thosaigh sí le plé ar an ospidéal agus ar an gcúis a mbíonn ar dhaoine dul ann. Chuir roinnt de na leanaí a scéalta féin in iúl mar gheall orthu féin agus chuir Múinteoir Seán leis an méid a bhí le rá acu. D’eascair sraith comhráite as an bplé thar an gcéad chúpla lá eile maidir le cén fáth a n-éiríonn daoine tinn, conas a thagann biseach orthu, agus cén fáth a bhfaigheann roinnt daoine bás de bharr tinnis.

Níos déanaí i rith na seachtaine, agus tar éis roinnt acmhainní a thabhairt ón mbaile, thiomsaigh Múinteoir Seán agus na leanaí bailiúchán frapaí agus éadaí maiseacha chun ospidéal a dhéanamh. Bhí ceathrar tinn ann -—Ruairí, Teidí, Nóra, agus Múinteoir Seán. Roinn sé an grúpa leanaí i gceithre ghrúpa agus d’iarr orthu oibriú le chéile chun freastal ar riachtanais duine amháin de na hothair. Gan mhoill shroich ceithre fhoireann de dhochtúirí agus altraí chomh maith le cuairteoirí an t-ospidéal chun Ruairí, Teidí, Nóra agus Múinteoir Seán a fheiceáil. Thar an gcéad seachtain eile, bhí deis ag na grúpaí cóireáil a chur ar na hothair seo agus ar othair nua, agus fuair gach leanbh an deis a bheith ina dhochtúir, altra, chuairteoir agus othar. Chuir an phleanáil seo ar chumas Mhúinteoir Seán am a chaitheamh le gach ceann de na ceithre ghrúpa agus thug seo an deis dó teanga nua a thabhairt isteach sa chomhthéacs agus a dtuiscint ar bheith san ospidéal a fhorbairt.

Tá sé beartaithe ag Múinteoir Seán úsáid a bhaint as roinnt suíomhanna ina mbeadh daoine i sáinn chun plé a spreagadh agus foghlaim a chur chun cinn i réimsí éagsúla den churaclam thar na seachtainí le teacht.

Ábhar Machnaimh: Conas is féidir liom cuidiú leis na leanaí iniúchadh a dhéanamh ar shuíomhanna agus ar eispéiris nua trí mheán an phlé agus trí shúgradh samhlaíoch?

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Learning experience 16b: Ruairí goes to the hospital

Theme: Exploring and Thinking, Aim 2 and Learning goal 5


Setting: Infant class (Gaelscoil)(This experience begins during an Irish conversation session.)

Múinteoir Seán is talking to his class of 23 junior and senior infants. Ruairí, the puppet is worried because he has to go to hospital to have his tonsils removed. Múinteoir Seán asks the children how they would feel if they had to go to hospital. He gets a variety of responses. He then asks the children how they could help Ruairí to feel better about the trip to hospital. Many children empathise with Ruairí’s feelings of worry and nervousness, and about being alone and away from family and friends.

Myra (almost 6 years), who has cystic fibrosis, starts to talk about her long and frequent stays in hospital. She has a captive audience. Her contribution starts a discussion about hospital and why you go there. Many of the children share their own stories and Múinteoir Seán adds his. The discussion leads to a series of conversations over the next few days when the children explore why people get sick, what makes them better, and why some people die when they’re sick.

Later in the week, and after much collecting of resources from home, Múinteoir Seán and the children assemble a collection of props and dressing-up clothes to make a hospital. There are four very sick people—Ruairí, Teddy, Nora the SNA, and Múinteoir Seán. Múinteoir Seán divides the children into four groups and asks each group to work together to attend to the needs of one of the four patients. Within minutes four teams of doctors and nurses appear as do visitors for Ruairí, Teddy, Nora and Múinteoir Seán. Over the next week, the groups have opportunities to treat each of the patients as well as new patients, and all the children get opportunities to be doctors, nurses, visitors, and patients. This planning enables Múinteoir Seán to spend time with each of the four groups introducing new language in context and developing their understanding of being in hospital.

Múinteoir Seán plans to use some of the quandaries and ponderings raised in the discussions and play scenarios to promote learning in different areas of the curriculum over the following few weeks.

Reflection: How can I help children explore new situations and experiences through discussion and pretend play?

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Learning experience 19: I don’t want you to come to my birthday party



Setting: Infant class (primary school)

The junior infant class has children from a range of cultures including Traveller children and children from Nigeria, China and Egypt. Early in the first term the teacher, Mrs O’Reilly, notices that some children are using racist and discriminatory remarks when interacting with certain children in the class. This seems to be happening mainly at playtime in the yard.

One day she overhears a conversation in which one child says to another child, I don’t want you to come to my birthday party ‘cos you’re brown. The teacher talks to both children, reassuring Zara (who moved to Ireland from Nigeria two years ago) first and talking to her about how she is feeling. She then focuses on finding out why the other child, Anna, acted in such a way. Mrs O’Reilly is conscious there may be a number of reasons for Anna’s behaviour. Did the girls disagree about something? Did Anna hear someone else saying what she said? Did Anna want to hurt Zara and use her skin colour to do this? Mrs O’Reilly talks with Anna about why she used hurtful comments when playing with Zara. She explains the hurt this can cause to Zara and that it is not ok to do that. She tries to help Anna think about how she would feel if it happened to her.

Mrs O’Reilly looks for support as to how she might deal with this situation. She does some reading about young children and prejudice and discrimination. She refers to the school policy on inclusion and uses the document, Intercultural Education in the Primary School: Guidelines for Schools (NCCA, 2005). She visits www.action.ncca.ie for examples of practice from other teachers in responding to conflict. She also speaks to the principal.

Mrs O’Reilly knows it is important to address this issue immediately in order to support Zara and Anna as well as the other children. She follows up in the classroom through initial work on feelings. She uses storybooks to explore ‘being left out’ and ‘name-calling’. Through this, she and the children think about the actions and thoughts of a perpetrator, a recipient, and an onlooker to a negative situation. She reviews the images of people displayed in the classroom through posters and photographs and changes some of these to reflect a greater variety of cultures. She also sources multicultural dolls (male and female with realistic physical features) for the pretend play area as well as a variety of skin coloured crayons and paints. If a similar incident happens she will talk to the parents of the children involved. For now, she will observe closely the relationship between Zara and Anna, and will work with the whole class on making the school experience positive for everyone.

Reflection: Am I unintentionally making it acceptable for children to hurt each other through words and actions?

http://www.action.ncca.ie

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Learning experience 22: Happy St. Patrick’s Day




The group of 25 senior infants are making St Patrick’s Day cards. They have been working on them for a couple of days sticking, gluing and making pictures. Today they are writing messages to their families on them. The children have lots of opportunities to write each day, for example shopping lists and phone messages in the pretend play area, labels for working in the block corner, names for junk art designs, chalk and mini blackboards in the writing corner to write messages and news, copy-books for writing stories, and letter games on the computer and interactive white board. Alongside these the teacher uses mini lessons to show the children how to form letters.

John (5½ years) doesn’t like making mistakes when writing. He asks Ms Fogarty if she will scribe the words for him as she does when the class are telling and creating stories. Trying to build his confidence

with writing, Ms Fogarty encourages him to have a go. No, I will mess it all up, he responds. Ms Fogarty takes a note from John’s portfolio, which he made for the elves in the story, The Elves and the Shoemaker. She kneels beside John saying, Do you remember the day you wrote the note for the elves?

That was a great note. Look, let’s read it together. John smiles as he looks at his note. She also reminds him of the shopping lists they made earlier in the week, and about the books and posters with words around the room. Ms Fogarty suggests, I’ll stay beside you and help if you need me to. John nods.

The teacher asks him what he would like to put on the card. He responds, Happy St Patrick’s Day Mammy and Daddy. Love John. Suddenly John jumps out of his seat and goes to the wall where

there is a poster with ‘Happy St Patrick’s Day’ on it. I can write this, he exclaims with delight. John carefully copies it. He asks the teacher to spell mammy and daddy. Ms Fogarty wonders if any of the other children are using those words, and a discussion with the rest of the group results in suggestions. John makes a stab at spelling mammy, M-A-M-Y. Ms Fogarty uses positive body language to support him. She explains that there are two ms in mammy. As each word is completed she affirms his efforts and encourages him: I think your mammy and daddy will get a lovely surprise when they open your card and read your message that you wrote yourself. John is delighted with himself when he finishes. At 2 p.m. he rushes out the door to greet his mammy with the card in hand.

Reflection: Do I help children to see the progress they are making and to build on this?

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Learning experience 28: A grand design for my classrom




Miss O’Brien is getting ready for her new junior infant class. She divides the room into five interest areas: a messy play area (sand, water, play-dough, and paint), a pretend play area, a quiet area (library), a construction area, and a seated area with tables and chairs. She uses pictures to label the areas for the children. This year she will have four Polish children in the class. English and Irish will be second and third languages for these children. To support emergent literacy Miss O’Brien uses words in English, Irish and Polish when making the labels. She puts pictures and multilingual signs over the shelves and storage areas so that tidy-up time will be easier for everyone. She also provides welcome signs in the children’s home languages, and borrows some displays of their work and family photographs from parents and feeder pre-schools.

Miss O’Brien uses colour codes to assist the children in recognising their assigned groups. She arranges the tables into five groups with a different colour assigned to each. She plans to use the colour coding to rotate and manage various activities among the groups on a daily, weekly and termly basis. She will review and vary the activities, resources and choices regularly. Miss O’Brien also hopes to move some activities like PE, group art projects, and pretend play outdoors throughout the year: at least once a month in the winter and once a week during the other terms.

Sally, a Special Needs Assistant, will be in the classroom to support Fergal who has autism. Fergal uses the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to communicate. Miss O’Brien puts a number of sequence pictures around the room to help Fergal understand what is happening and what will happen next.

Planning and structuring the environment is a very important part of Miss O’Brien’s work. She knows that many changes will have to be made once the children arrive, and even on a daily basis after that, as she gets to know the children and they share in making decisions about their learning environment inside and outside the classroom.

Reflection: How can I design and organise the classroom so that the children enjoy being in it, and so that it helps them to be as independent as possible?

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Learning experience 31: What’s that black stuff?




Miss O’Meara teaches 23 junior and senior infants. During a hot spell of weather the children notice soft black tar on the road outside the school gate. Some step in it and discover it’s very sticky! This sparks off a conversation in class about what the ‘black stuff’ is and how it got there. To help the children understand the effect of heat on materials she plans an investigation for the next day.

During structured play Miss O’Meara works with six children at a time, while the other children are in other areas including the pretend play area, the music and art area, and the construction area. The group has six containers and dishes of chocolate, ice-cream and butter. The children work in pairs and each pair is responsible for one of the three materials. Miss O’Meara shows the children her cooler box full of ice and a cupboard which is very warm as the heating pipes run behind it. She asks the children to think about what would happen the chocolate, the ice-cream and the butter if they were placed in the cooler and in the cupboard. She records the children’s predictions on a large sheet of paper. The children proceed to test their theories. They place containers with the three materials (each one containing a different material) in the cooler box and the remaining three containers in the cupboard. They leave them overnight.

The next day Miss O’Meara and the children remind themselves of their predictions. Excitedly, the children retrieve their containers from the cooler box and the cupboard. The children are amazed by some of the changes. They are delighted that the ice-cream hasn’t melted in the cooler box, but Aisling

points out, I might need a straw instead of a spoon to eat that ice-cream, referring to the ice-cream in the cupboard. Peter is very disappointed that none of the chocolate can be eaten, because even when he bangs the one that was in the cooler box on the table he can’t break a piece off, and the

one that was in the cupboard is all mushy like baby food. Anna thinks that her mam would like the

butter that was in the cupboard, because it’s nice and soft and won’t rip holes in the bread for my sandwiches. But the children are sure Anna’s mam wouldn’t like the butter that was in the cooler box because it is so hard.

The children and Miss O’Meara use what they see to explain where the sticky black tar came from. Over the next few days the children have great fun keeping watch on the tar at the school gate and setting up ‘melting’ investigations at home with siblings.

Reflection: How can I provide opportunities to predict and explore everyday happenings to help children to make sense of their world?

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Learning experience 38: We both love dinosaurs




Jason (4½ years) is in junior infants. He asks his teacher a question about dinosaurs. The teacher suggests he ask Sarah (5½ years) because she knows a lot about them. Sarah is able to answer his question and the two children start playing at the small world table with the dinosaurs. The following day Sarah brings in her scrapbook about dinosaurs to show Jason. Jason tells his mammy all about Sarah and she arranges for Sarah to come and play at Jason’s house. The two children become good friends during their year in junior infants.

Reflection: Do I create opportunities for children to share their interests with each other and use this as a basis for learning?

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Learning experience 44: Recreating history




The junior infants live in a town where there is a large castle. They, along with their teacher and some parents, visited it a few weeks ago. The teacher and children took many digital photographs. The children saw and discussed the various features of the castle and learned about who lived there and the purposes of its different parts. One day shortly after the visit the teacher invites the children to make castles of their own. They are working in groups of four and can use whatever materials they like. Some choose blocks, others Lego, some recycled materials, while others draw pictures.

One group decides to make a model of the castle with recycled materials, including a sturdy cardboard box and small world people. Dylan (almost 5 years) who has spina bifida takes an active part. Lisa, his special needs assistant, has to make some modifications to the materials so that Dylan can take part as independently as possible. She makes sure the castle base has been securely taped to the table and some of the pieces of material already have double-sided tape on them for Dylan to use. As Dylan has some physical disabilities he often needs a little help from his class buddy, Liam, who is always eager to lend a hand. The group is very pleased with the finished article and spend much time playing with it.

Sometimes they take the castle outside at playtime. Dylan holds it on his lap in the wheelchair while one of the others pushes him. One day they forget to bring it back in and the children arrive the following morning to find a wet soggy castle! They see the impact of rain on cardboard but don’t seem too upset. They decide to become the sentries and wild animals and they divide the playground into different areas of the castle. Dylan speeds around in his wheelchair fighting off the wild animals.

The castle theme is developed over the following days when the children learn more about the history of the castle and when they read books and watch a relevant TV programme. Their interest in castle life deepens and after many discussions and much research involving interviews with the local librarian the children make period costumes and armour which they model for other classes at assembly.

Reflection: To what extent do I encourage children to think of their individual strengths when they take on roles in their play?

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Eispéireas foghlama 48a: Margadh an fheirmeora

Téama: Féiniúlacht agus Muintearas, Aidhm 4 agus Sprioc foghlama 3


Suíomh: Rang naíonáin (bunscoil sa Ghaeltacht)

Le linn sraith ceachtanna drámaíochta bhunaigh grúpa leanaí i rang na naíonán sóisear agus sinsear, in éineacht le Múinteoir Síle, stallaí margaidh sa spás súgartha. Thugadh roinnt mhaith de na leanaí cuairt ar an margadh áitiúil feirmeora maidineacha Sathairn lena dtuismitheoirí agus bhí fhios ag na leanaí eile ina thaobh seo ó na hamanna roinnte nuachta. Fuair Múinteoir Síle frapaí súgartha, mar shampla ábhair scríbhneoireachta agus airgead, soithigh bhia fholmha, agus prócaí. Ghlan sí an bord taispeántais agus d’úsáid é mar chuntar. Ghlac na leanaí róil éagsúla agus thug cuireadh do Mhúinteoir Síle bheith ina custaiméir. Thar an gcéad chúpla lá eile thug siad boinn airgid 1, 2, 5, agus 10 cent isteach ar scoil chun táirge a cheannach. D’fhorbair an súgradh le linn na seachtaine de réir mar a bhunaigh leanaí stallaí níos speisialaithe. Ag an bpointe sin bhí an spás sa seomra ranga le haghaidh na stallaí an-teoranta. Mhol Múinteoir Síle go bhféadaidís athshocrú a dhéanamh ar na boird agus na cathaoireacha chun spás a dhéanamh. Agus iad ar cipíní, chuidigh na leanaí léi é seo a dhéanamh. Bhí cead pleanála i bhfeidhm anois chun síneadh a chur leis an margadh! Thosaigh níos mó agus níos mó stallaí nua ag teacht ar an bhfód de réir mar a rinne leanaí nithe as taos súgartha agus de réir mar a thug siad cartáin fholmha ón mbaile. Bhunaigh siad stallaí áit a raibh a bpéintéireachta agus a mbláthanna féin á ndíol acu. Thug siad seanbhréagáin agus leabhair ón mbaile leo agus dhíol iad lena chéile. Bhídís ina gcustaiméirí agus ansin ina n-úinéirí stallaí. Chuidigh Múinteoir Síle leo comharthaí a dhéanamh le haghaidh na stallaí éagsúla. Rinne roinnt leanaí comharthaí a thaispeáin praghas a n-earraí.

Sheol Múinteoir Síle nóta abhaile ag insint do na tuismitheoirí céard a bhí ar siúl ag na leanaí agus thug cuireadh dóibh cuairt a thabhairt ar mhargadh na leanaí nuair a bhí siad ag fágáil na leanaí ar scoil nó á mbailiú. Rinne sí fístéip de roinnt de na heipeasóid súgartha. Lá eile bhain sí úsáid as an margadh chun fadhb a chur faoi bhráid na leanaí, agus d’fhiafraigh sí di féin os ard ar chóir di na boinn airgid a bhí aici a úsáid chun íoc as planda a chosain 5c (naíonáin shóisearacha) nó 10c (naíonáin shinsearacha). De réir mar a rinne gach leanbh na fíorbhoinn airgid a láimhseáil (1c, 2c, 5c, agus 10c), spreag sí na leanaí le hiniúchadh a dhéanamh ar na meascáin éagsúla de bhoinn airgid a d’fhéadfaidís a úsáid le haghaidh na bplandaí.

Ábhar Machnaimh: Conas is féidir liom úsáid níos mó a bhaint as an súgradh samhlaíoch chun cur le forbairt scileanna litearthachta agus uimhearthachta na leanaí?

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Learning experience 48b: The farmer’s market



Setting: Infant class (primary school in the Gaeltacht)

During a series of drama lessons a group of children in junior and senior infants and their teacher, Múinteoir Síle, set up a market stall in the pretend play area. Many of the children visit the local farmer’s market on Saturday mornings with their parents and mention it during news-time. Múinteoir Síle gets play props, including writing materials and money, empty food containers, and jars. She clears the display table and uses this as a counter. The children take on different roles and ask Múinteoir Síle to be a customer. Over the next few days they bring 1, 2, 5, and 10 cent coins to school for buying the produce. The play develops during the week as groups of children set up more specialised stalls. Space in the classroom for stalls begins to pose a problem. Múinteoir Síle suggests that they could rearrange the tables and chairs to make room. Excitedly, the children help her do this. Planning permission to extend the market is now in place! More and more stalls begin to appear as children make produce from play-dough and bring empty food cartons from home. They set up a stall selling their own paintings and the flowers they are growing. They bring old toys and books from home and sell them to each other. They take turns playing customers and stall owners. Múinteoir Síle helps them to make signs for the different stalls. Some children make signs that show the price of their merchandise.

Múinteoir Síle sends a note home telling parents what the children are doing and invites them to visit the children’s market when they drop off or collect the children. She videos some of the play episodes. On another day she uses the market to pose a problem for the children; she wonders aloud how she can use the coins she has to pay for a 5c plant (junior infants) or a 10c plant (senior infants). With each child handling, observing and exploring real coins (1c, 2c, 5c, and 10c), she encourages the children to explore the combinations they could use to pay for the plants.

Reflection: How can I use pretend play to a greater extent to develop children’s literacy and numeracy skills?

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Learning experience 52: Going to the dentist




Ms Murphy, the junior and senior infant class teacher, uses the pretend play corner to support children’s learning across Aistear’s themes, as well as language, maths, SESE and SPHE in the Primary School Curriculum. Every fortnight or so the play focus changes. Children use the corner to pretend they are cooking and baking or minding babies, in the café, at the doctor’s, at the local social welfare office, at the garage, at the library, in the garda station, fishing on a trawler, or going on holidays. This month due to the number of children expressing an interest in teeth, Ms Murphy and the children have decided to play going to the dentist. Several children have started to lose their baby teeth while others have gone on visits to the dentist themselves or with older siblings or parents.

The pretend play corner is used as the children arrive in school and at different times of the day and the week, depending on what activities the children are doing. Ms Murphy organises the pretend play corner so that it includes relevant play materials to support children’s learning and development, including literacy and numeracy skills. For example, there is a telephone and computer for the dentist’s

receptionist. There is also a notepad and pencil for making appointments and there are books and magazines in the waiting area.

The children are really excited about creating their own dentist’s surgery. Over the next week they organise and reorganise the surgery expanding their patient list as they go. They make posters and price lists for the services on offer. Sometimes Ms Murphy plays with the children; at other times she observes the play from a distance. Occasionally she intervenes to extend the play, especially when it seems to become repetitive. She sometimes adds a new prop, introduces a new word or idea, makes a suggestion, helps resolve a conflict, or models a new role. During the course of the week, as well as playing in the pretend area, the children have conversations about their visits to the dentist. They listen to stories about the dentist and read relevant books in the library corner. They play with props such as goggles, mouthwash, dental picks, toothbrushes, toothpaste, white coats, drills, magnifying lenses, mirrors, and injections. They play games such as I spy, Spot the difference, Pick the odd one out using pictures and objects connected to the dentist. Most children are using lots of words associated with the dentist. On Friday the dental nurse from the local health clinic comes in. She uses a giant brush and teeth to explain how to brush your teeth. By the end of the week business is booming in the dental surgery with treatments such as making false teeth and fitting braces being offered.

Reflection: How regularly do I observe and listen to children in pretend play scenarios, and identify ways to extend their play?

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Learning experience 56: Story time




The senior infant class of 28 boys are getting ready for story time. They make themselves comfortable on the mats on the floor at the back of the classroom near the library area. The teacher has his storytelling hat on and has a series of props ready to assist him in his telling of Jack and the Beanstalk. He reads the story with the help of some of the boys who have been chosen to take on the different roles in the story.

During discussion time Mr O’Donnell asks the boys to describe the different characters in the story. He also asks some questions such as: Was it right for Jack’s mother to send him off on his own to sell the cow? Was it okay for Jack to keep stealing things from the giant? Some very interesting conversations ensue. Later that day the boys play word games with some key words from the story. They love doing this and especially like making up nonsense words.

The following day Mr O’Donnell revisits the story and asks them to think of alternative endings for it. Later during drama time the boys re-enact the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. They incorporate the new endings such as Jack and the giant becoming friends, Jack selling the cow for a lot of money, running away and not giving the money to his mother, the guards catching Jack walking along the road with the cow and taking him to the station, the principal of his school ringing his Mam to see why he isn’t at school. The teacher builds on their ideas and helps them to develop their stories. Over the next two days, working in pairs, the boys write their own story of Jack. They use words from the whiteboard based on their various discussions and they use their own spelling for other words. The children add illustrations to their story. When Mr. O’Donnell suggests to them that they could staple the pages together to make little story books, some children decide to add their names as authors and illustrators. They add page numbers and some even add ISBN codes! The following week the boys visit the junior infants classroom to read to the children in small groups. Parents get a chance to read the books when they drop the boys off in the morning or when they are collecting them in the afternoon.

Reflection: How can I use storytelling to promote higher-order thinking skills?

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Learning experience 59: Autumn pictures

Theme: Exploring and thinking, Aim 4 and Learning goal 4Age group: Young children


Ms. O’Connor, the senior infant teacher, notes that Val (5 years and 9 months) tends to contribute to class or group discussions only very occasionally. He has a stammer and his teacher is concerned that he may be becoming increasingly self-conscious about speaking in front of his peers.

As part of their work on autumn, the children are making pictures using leaf rubbings. Ms. O’Connor and the children talk about WILFs (What I am looking for) for their pictures which Ms. O’Connor writes on the blackboard. She draws pictures beside them to help the children read the WILF.

I did two leaf rubbings. I used three autumn colours in my picture.

Since September, Ms. O’Connor has met with Val’s parents on two occasions to talk about the approaches they use to help Val with his speech. They put her in touch with his speech therapist. Using strategies suggested by the therapist, she tries to give a few minutes of one-to-one attention to Val each day. One of the strategies she uses is to speak slowly to him while she acts as a role model helping him to slow his speech down. This helps Val in overcoming his stammer.

Today, while the children are doing their leaf rubbings, Ms. O’Connor kneels at Val’s group and talks to him and the other children in the group about their pictures. She asks Val what he found easy and difficult in the activity, and what he is happy with in his picture. She comments on the colours he has used and the shapes of the leaves. She notes that asking Val questions seems to make him anxious, and in turn his stammer becomes more pronounced. He seems more comfortable when she uses a conversational approach, making comments to which Val can respond if he likes. Noticing this, she asks few questions and instead uses phrases and comments which invite Val to talk to her about his work using key words and phrases, such as autumn colours, reds and oranges, jagged edges, and gives Val’s lots of opportunities to use these. The children want to use their leaf rubbings to create a large autumn picture outside their classroom door for their parents and the principal to see. As part of this, Ms. O’Connor plans to model using the autumn words and phrases for Val again and to give him small group opportunities to use these.

Ms. O’Connor makes the following notes in Val’s record in her practitioner’s file.

Val 30/09/08 Uses good pronunciation of autumn words and phrases when he speaks slowly and in small groups.

Next steps Comment on what Val is doing as a way of inviting him to talk.

Reflection: Am I open to ‘messages’ from children about how best to support them in their learning?

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Learning experience 62: Tapping into an interest

Theme: Exploring and thinking, Aim 2 and Learning goal 1



The junior infant children have been on a trip to an open farm. They have lots of photographs and Mr Shaw their teacher is using these to help them recall the experience, and to find out what they enjoyed and what they learned. He is working with a group of twelve children, while six children are playing in the farm corner and the other six are building a veterinary practice using small world toys and play-dough. The children talk about sitting beside their friends on the bus, eating lunch outside, wearing their wellies, feeding the lambs, holding fluffy chicks, and seeing the baby calves drinking from their mothers’ udders. Then one child notes: The man told us that the donkey pulls a cart. Another child adds: That’s ‘cos (because) they don’t have much tractors on that farm and that’s what you do if you can’t get a tractor. My granda told me that. Another comments: The man at the farm said there are not many donkeys left but my granda has hundreds. Mr Shaw encourages and assists the children to move beyond description and to hypothesise, imagine and speculate. He does this by using phrases such as, I wonder what was on the carts the donkey pulled. Suppose the farmer needed to plant more crops, I’m not sure how he would do that if he didn’t have tractors. I wonder how the donkey might feel after his work on the farm. The children enter into a conversation about what life on a farm might have been like for their grandparents. When Mr Shaw poses the question, How could we find out?, one little girl suggests asking them. This conversation heralds a class project on farm life when my granny and granda were young. In engaging with the project the children interview grandparents, look at old photographs, see, touch and find out about ‘old’ farm implements, learn farm songs, and build an ‘old’ farm with small world and construction toys. Throughout the project, the children learn new farm language and how farm life has changed since their grandparents were young, which helps them develop a sense of time.

Reflection: Are children’s conversations and interests a focus for further learning in my setting?

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Learning experience 66: Including others




Five of the nine girls from senior infants are playing in a group outside at lunchtime. Miss Davison is on yard duty. She overhears another girl, Louise, trying to join them. Louise’s best friend Síle is absent today. The girls tell Louise that they don’t want to play with her. Miss Davison immediately goes to Louise and acknowledges her hurt: Louise, I can see that you are feeling sad and lonely. I need someone to help me mind everyone in the yard. Would you like to help me please? Miss Davison and Louise keep each other company for the remaining few minutes of lunchtime. After lunch Miss Davison tells Louise’s teacher about the incident in the yard. Later that day the teacher organises the children for circle time. She replaces her planned work with the discussion: What do we do if someone wants to join in our play and we already have enough people? She introduces the discussion using Ruby the class life-sized doll. Ruby tells the children about having to sit by herself one day on a school trip. She describes feeling very upset and wishing she was at home with her Mam and Gran. The teacher asks the children what Ruby’s school-mates could have done to help her feel better. They suggest strategies such as taking turns to sit with her, singing songs together so that everyone was involved even if someone was sitting on his/her own, or taking a teddy to sit with. The teacher and children develop this conversation further over the following days.

The teacher notes in her planner to check how Louise copes socially on future days, and especially when Síle is absent. She also makes a note in her practitioner’s file.

Reflection: How can I make greater on-the-spot use of assessment information I gather through watching and listening to children?

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Eispéireas foghlama 71a: Forbairt scríbhneoireachta

Téama: Cumarsáid, Aidhm 2 agus Sprioc foghlama 4


Suíomh: Rang naíonáin (Gaelscoil)

Tá rang naíonáin á mhúineadh ag Iníon Uí Mhurchú i ngaelscoil. An tseachtain seo bhí sí féin agus an rang ag léamh agus ag plé an scéil, Goldilocks agus na trí bhéar. Mar chuid de seo bhí plé ann i dtaobh céard a dhéanfadh na trí bhéar dá mbeadh fhios acu cá raibh cónaí ar Goldilocks. Chuir siad tuairimí in iúl maidir lena dtarlódh agus ceann de na moltaí ná go ndéanfadh na beáir praiseach de theach Goldilocks. Thug Iníon Uí Mhurchú tasc do na leanaí agus d’iarr orthu scéalta a scríobh faoi Goldilocks agus na trí bhéar. Thug sí tascanna éagsúla do leanaí éagsúla sa rang. Do roinnt de na leanaí thug sí sé phictiúr chun iad a chur in ord an scéil agus chun an focal cuí a roghnú ó liosta focal le cur faoin ngrianghraf cuí. Scríobh grúpa eile leanaí an scéal ina bhfocail féin ina leabhair – leabhair a raibh cruth teachín tuaithe orthu. Scríobh an tríú grúpa leanaí an scéal ina bhfocail féin agus rinne iarracht a shamhlú conas mar a bheadh an scéal dá dtabharfadh na beáir cuairt ar theach Goldilocks. Chuir an múinteoir na príomhfhocail agus na priomhfhrásaí ar fáil bunaithe ar phlé an ranga.

D’imigh Iníon Uí Mhurchú ó ghrúpa go grúpa de réir mar a d’oibrigh na scríbhneoirí óga ar a scéalta. Spreag sí iad le litriú a úsáid nuair nach raibh an focal a bhí á lorg acu ar an gclár bán. Uaireanta bhí sí ag smaoineamh os ard in éineacht leo chun cuidiú leo deireadh an scéil a phleanáil: Chuir Goldilocks glaoch ar a mamaí nuair a chonaic sí an praiseach a bhí déanta! Gach lá ag am inste scéil thug sí an deis do sheisear a scéalta a léamh, ag léiriú a gcuid leabhar nó na pictiúir a chuir siad in ord an scéil. Gach tráthnóna nuair a bhí na leanaí imithe abhaile scríobh sí cuntas gearr ar scríbhneoireacht na sé leanbh agus chuir leis an eolas a bhí ar taifead aici cheana féin faoina scileanna scríbhneoireachta. Chuir sí freisin cóip d’obair na leanaí ina bhfillteáin oibre.

Sampla de nótaí Iníon Uí Mhurchú ar scéal Mheadbh ina comhad cleachtóra.

10 Márta 2009: Choinnigh sí na buncharachtair mar an gcéanna; thug sí isteach carachtar amháin nua (mamaí Goldilocks) ar bhealach loighciúil. D’úsáid sí a litriú féin ag léiriú feasacht mhaith fóineolaíochta. Chuir sí ceithre abairt nua sa bhreis leis chun deireadh eile a chur leis an scéal. Dul chun cinn an-mhaith.

Ábhar Machnaimh: Conas a bhainfidh mé úsáid níos fearr as eolas measúnaithe chun tascanna éagsúla a thabhairt do leanaí éagsúla agus ar an gcaoi seo cuidiú leo lena bhfoghlaim agus a bhforbairt?

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Learning experience 71b: Emergent writing



Setting: Infant class (Gaelscoil)

Iníon Uí Mhurchú is a senior infant teacher in a Gaelscoil. This week she and her class have been reading and discussing the story, Goldilocks agus na trí bhéar. Part of this has involved the children speculating about what the three bears might do if they knew where Goldilocks lived. They predict many actions for her some of which involve a messy ending for her house. Iníon Uí Mhurchú sets the children a task that involves them in writing stories about Goldilocks agus na trí bhéar. She differentiates the task for the class. Some children are given six pictures to sequence the story and to write the relevant word for each from a list. Another group of children write the story in their own words in their books, shaped like a cottage. A third group of children write the story in their own words, including how they imagine the story might end with the bears visiting Goldilocks’ house. The teacher provides key words and phrases based on the class discussions.

Iníon Uí Mhurchú moves from group to group as the young writers work on their stories. She encourages them to try spellings when their words are not on the whiteboard. She sometimes thinks aloud with them to help them plan their story ending: Goldilocks rings her mammy when she sees all the fuss! Each day at story time she invites six children to read their stories, showing their books or sequenced pictures. Each afternoon when the children have gone home she adds a comment on the writing of the six children to the information she has already recorded about their writing skills. She also adds a copy of the children’s work to their learning portfolios.

Example of Iníon Uí Mhurchú’s notes on Meadbh’s story recorded in her practitioner’s file.

10th March 2009: Retained original characters; introduced new one (Goldilocks’ mammy) in logical way. Used her own spellings showing good phonological awareness. Added four sentences for new story ending. Great progress.

Reflection: How can I make better use of assessment information to differentiate for children’s learning and development?

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Learning experience 72: Screening in senior infants




Ms Clarke teaches 29 senior infant boys. As part of the school’s assessment policy Ms Clarke uses a literacy screening test with the whole class in late January. When correcting the tests she identifies six boys who score below the test threshold. Through observations and conversations, she has been carefully monitoring these boys as she knows they sometimes find letter sounds challenging, and two require ongoing support in developing listening skills. She considers the possibility that their low scores on the test may be attributable to factors other than difficulties in literacy. She takes account of particular factors, such as the language, the complexity of the instructions, and the anxiety that the testing situation can create for some children. Having talked with the boys’ parents, Ms Clarke refers them to the Learning-support teacher, Mrs Fitzgerald. After establishing a good relationship with the children this teacher carries out individual diagnostic tests.

Having considered all the available information, Mrs Fitzgerald invites the parents of the six boys to take part in an early intervention programme for 6-8 weeks, in order to assist them in supporting specific aspects of their children’s learning. Ms Clarke and Mrs Fitzgerald also agree on some additional learning activities that Ms Clarke can use to work with the boys on both an individual and group basis.

At the end of the early intervention programme the six children are re-tested. Five now score well. While the sixth child has made some progress, Ms Clarke plans to continue to give one-to-one support to him in class. He will also have further diagnostic assessment and support with Mrs Fitzgerald.

Reflection: Does my school have a screening policy in place to help identify children who may need extra and/or specialised support?

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Learning experience 74: Working in a special education setting

Theme: Aims and Learning goals across the four themes


Setting: Infant class (special primary school)

Stephen (6 years) attends a special school. He has muscular dystrophy and mild general learning disabilities. His parents tell his teacher Linda that he loves his cat, Tabby and dislikes noise. Based on assessments of Stephen’s learning and development, Linda and the team of therapists working in the school devise a programme of learning experiences for him.

Linda focuses on Stephen’s language, his challenging behaviour, his motor skills, and his early reading. She observes, assesses and records his speech and language: he shows delayed expressive language,

for example calling a train a choo choo. He also finds sentence structure challenging and experiences

articulation difficulties, for example calling a doggy a goggy and substituting t for s and ch. Linda shares this information with the speech therapist Nora who carries out further testing and, using the information from this, designs a daily language and speech programme for Stephen.

Based on Kate’s (Special Needs Assistant) and her own observations of Stephen’s challenging behaviours, Linda changes Stephen’s afternoon routine. She refers him to Joan the physiotherapist who takes Stephen to the clinic’s hydrotherapy pool for two afternoons per week, and to Gill the occupational therapist who takes Stephen to the Snoozaleen Relaxation Room on two other afternoons.

To support the development of Stephen’s motor skills Joan provides Linda with suitable physical exercises, which include altering the time he spends sitting and standing. To make it easier for Stephen to move around the classroom Gill investigates the possibility of accessing an electric wheelchair for him. She also organises a range of aids to help him overcome some of the difficulties he is experiencing with fine motor skills. These aids include a pencil-grip and a modified computer keyboard.

Finally, Linda’s assessment of Stephen’s early reading skills shows his sight-word recognition is confined to his own name. Various tests have shown that he also experiences challenges with visual discrimination, sequential memory, and auditory sequencing. Considering this information, Gill suggests that Linda would arrange for Stephen to have sensory integration sessions.

Reflection: How can I continually build the practice of interdisciplinary work in order to provide children, where necessary, with specialised support to help them progress in their learning and development?

Documents

Learning experiences for infant classes - ncca. · PDF fileLearning experiences for infant classes. 3. ... Learning experience 6: Paul’s daily diary. ... They get regular feedback